Ladakh Situation Stable But Unpredictable, Need to Focus on China's Actions: Army Chief Gen Pande

Amid the lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh with China, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Saturday said that the situation in the region is “stable but unpredictable”. In an address at a think-tank, he added that the Indian side is looking forward to the next round of high-level military talks with China for the resolution of the remaining issues.

“We are looking at a date for the 17th round of talks,” he said.

He added that as far as People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s force levels are concerned, there has been no significant reduction.

On development of infrastructure by China in border areas, the Army chief said it is going on unabated. When asked about the Indian Army’s military preparedness in the region, he said, “Our transition to winter posture is underway”.

General Pande also said that there is a need to very carefully calibrate “our actions on Line of Actual Control (LAC) to be able to safeguard our interests and sensitivities”. “We all know what the Chinese say and what they do is quite different. It is also a part of their nature and character. We need to focus on their actions rather than what is on their texts or scripts or their articulation,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

The Indian and Chinese armies on September 8 announced that they have kicked off the disengagement process from the PP-15, in a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull-out troops from the remaining friction points in the region.

The disengagement in the Gogra-Hotsprings area is an outcome of the 16th round of high-level military talks in July, the two armies had said while announcing the beginning of the process on September 8.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquility along the LAC were key for the overall development of the bilateral ties. The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area took place in February last year while the withdrawal of troops and equipment in Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra took place in August last year.

(with PTI inputs)

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